The fact that I got to see The Strokes play the tiny Capitol Theatre a week ago, somewhat spoiled their Governors Ball set for me. There’s just no comparison in seeing their first show in three years at a tiny theater outside of the city to a giant festival set in the hot, hot sun. Even so, I still rocked out just as hard and got to actually photograph the freaking Strokes, so there is always that..
It was the same set as the Capitol, which I was fine with only cause the set is so good. The guys still looked to be having a lot of fun on stage, sporting smiles, and Julian having little moments with each member; such as when he went behind Nikolai and put his hands over his eyes.
Julian (who played with his band The Voidz the day before) had some moments where his timing was off, or he forgot a lyric here or there, but for the most part his vocals were on point, especially on the difficult “One Way Trigger.” The rest of the Comedown Machine material sounded just as sharp live (“Welcome To Japan” especially), finding a way to blend in with all the other classics that they played through their discography.
After leaving the photo pit I had a hard time finding an open spot in the back of the crowd, nearly going halfway across the mainstage field until I could find room to breath. Even out there in no man’s land, fans were singing aloud and dancing. It was arguably the biggest audience of the festival next to Outkast (bigger than Jack White’s) making it clear that the people still care very much so about The Strokes.
I took it in as if it was the last show I’d get to see from them, because one just never knows with them. In a perfect world they’ll be back in a year or two with a new record and a tour to follow, but I’m not going to hold my breath. If these last two shows are the last I got to see with them, I could live with that. Which speaks volumes about how well that they succeeded on stage
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